Fire and burglar proof safe



Feb. 15, 1949. w. THEEN FIRE AND BURGLAR PROOF SAFE File d Sept. 11, 1946 FIG.

.INVENTOR WILLIAM TH ElN ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 15, 1 949 ,1 UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE FIRE AND BURGLAR PROOF SAFE William Thein, Bremerton, 'Wash.

Application September 11, 1946, Serial No. 696,302

This'invention relatesto fire and burglar proof safes In the construction and use of safes to protect valuables from losses by fires and burglars, difficulty has been found in providing reliable structures therefor that could be manufactured in relatively small sizes and prices low enough for general household application and still provide sufficient space and safety.

When safes are subjected to the great heat that is frequently engendered by burning houses, it is important that the walls of the safes around the valuables be relatively thick and of material that is substantially impervious to heat and so will not conduct heat to the articles in the interior chambers. When burglars attempt to forceopen safes they usually first seek to break away all door hinges and combination spindles that may protrude outside of the'walls, and they are then frequentlyable to open the safe or the door thereof.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a relatively small safe body that may be easily and economically constructed'for use in home dwellings, preferably of materials and shapes to resist both fires and burglaries.

safe in general columnar shape and formed of concrete or cement or other similar materials suitably reinforced by steel rods, and having a chamber centrally disposed therein for valuables and a tapered walled mouth above the same for an entrance, together with a relatively thick and heavy cap for closing the mouth with tapered walls thereof to conform with the walls of the mouth together with means for locking the cap in closed position over the chamber.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter stated I have exemplified my invention by the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a plan view, with a portion broken away, of the safe.

Figure 2 is front elevation view in section, of the safe.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the safe, with a portion of the upper part broken away, disclosing the well and padlock in position, when the cover cap is locked in closed position.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail fragmentary view of the upper portion ofthe safe, taken from the same direction as Figure 3, and showing the well with staples projecting therein, and the hasp of a padlock being threaded through the three staples for locking the cap in closed position.

' 2 Claims. (Cl. 109- 59) 2 Likecharacters on the different figures represent like parts.

The letter A, indicates generally the body of the safe'which is preferably formed in columnar shape of suitable dimensions for various uses and applications desired, and when in generally rounded formation the safes may be easily rolled for shifting the locations thereof. The letter B, indicates generally the cover or cap for closing the "mouth or area above the chamber wherein valuables may be placed for protection. The sides of the cap are tapered inward and downward from the top as indicated at B and the Walls I of the mouth are similarly tapered in reversed positions for cooperation with the walls of the cap for sealing the outlet or inlet to and from the chamber, and to complete a heavy or thick wall entirely surrounding the chamber. The interior walls of the chamber and the bottom of the cap are preferably lined with relatively heavy asbestos 9 for additional protection against heat.

In order to lock the cap or cover in such closed position over the chamber a rectangular well I0 is provided in the top portion of the side walls I l spaced from the mouth and a slot I2 is extended laterallybetween the well and the mouth above the chamber. A staple or eyelet I3 is extended upward from the bottom of the well; the lower legs of thestaple being built into the cement or base of the well for rigidity.

The legs of two other similar staples or eyelets I6 or I I are built into the cap and the said eyelets l6 and I! extend laterally outward from the cap in spaced relation from each other sufliciently to straddle the upstanding eyelet l3 when the cap is lowered upon its seat above the chamber.

In operation for locking the cap in closed position it is lowered into the cavity or mouth above the chamber with the two staples extended therefrom sliding down through the slot and on opposite sides of a staple l3 in the base, so that the three eyelets are in alinement when the cap is seated in the cavity above the chamber. A hasp I8 of any suitable padlock I9 is then inserted into and through the three eyelets as shown in Figure 4, and then the hasp is closed by manual pressure on top of the padlock while the outer edge of the hasp is being compressed against the lower walls of the eyelets; thus securing th cap in immovable position upon its seat above the chamber. The padlock may be of any ordinary type of suitable strength with the usual spring which normally maintains the hasp in open position, but which hasp will be automatically latched or locked by the usual guard inside the lock when the hasp is completely closed in the usual manner. In order to raise the cover for access to the chamber a suitable key is inserted in a keyhole as 20 in the base of the padlock and turned for releasing the bolt and hasp in the usual manner.

The padlock is then rocked laterally in order to disconnect the hasp from the eyelets and to release the cover therefrom for removal. The well as shown in the drawings is preferably rectangular in area sufiiciently to permit the padlock to be rocked in either direction. In some cases a circular well may be preferred when a barrel shaped padlock is available, and which may-be rotated in the well for connecting and disconnecting a'hasp therefrom to and from the eyelets; I-r'1 either formation the well area is restricted. to, provide only the necessary clearance for operating the locks. the cap a light ring 2! may be connected centrally in the cap, sufficient in strength merely tolift the weight of the cap but insuflicientin, strength for breaking the hasp of the lock orthe eyelets by any force which-might be employed as by burglars for forcing the removal of-the cover; When cement or similar material is used for the wells of the safe it isadvisable to reinforce the same by ordinary steel rods indicated as 22, which may be spirally disposed within the walls by pouring the liquid cement in formation around the rods in the usual construction with suchreinforcing.

It will thus is closed, the top thereof will be flush or level with the tops of the walls and the butt of the padlock will be flush with or below the level of the top of the walls, thus there will be no parts extending beyond the exteriors of the walls and cap which may be broken away by burglars. ,It will also be understood that in event of fires'the relatively thick walls of fire resisting material around the chamber will protect all valuables;

therein against the heat of all ordinary fires,

caused by burning of buildings. 7 V;

Having described my invention, I claim as new for Letters Patent:

1. .A safe for protecting valuables frem'losses by fires and burglars, comp-rising a body ofgeneral columnar shape, and having a chamber To facilitate the raising and lowering of.

be understood that when the ca coacting with said interior walls of the mouth for I sealing the chamber entrance when the block is seated therein, an eyelet extended upward from the base of the well and a pair of eyelets extended laterally fromcne side of the cover and being spaced apart for straddling the eyelet in the well and ?in alinement therewith for engagement thereof by the hasp of a padlock, together with means for raising and lowering the cap having less tensile strength than said eyelets.

2. A fire and burglar proof safe, comprising-,a body formed with relatively thick walls of; ma-

terial for resisting heat and burglars tools having a chamber centrally disposed therein forpreserving valuables and the chamber having an opening from its top fora passageway, a cap of like material for closing such passageway, having a pair. of eyelets projected laterally from one side thereof, the wall adjacent to the passageway hav-.

ing a well therein for a padlock and.v being connected with the passageway by a lateral slctfor the pair of eyelets aforesaid, an eyeletextended, vertically above the bottomof the well for, alignment with the eyelets from the cap when the cap is seated in the passageway for engagement by,

the hasp of a padlock.

REFERENCES CITED The following referencesare ofrecord in the file of this patent: I V i H UNITED STATES PATENTS I Number Date,

. Name a 704,413 Weston July 8, 1902 1,421,150 Bennet June 2'7, 1922 2,180,997 Rubilino Nov. 21, 1939 

